Yankees 4, Blue Jays 3: Aaron Judge hit a ball to the moon

This was a much needed win, wasn’t it? After a rough couple of days, the Yankees climbed over .500 following a victory over the Blue Jays. The Bombers received some timely hitting and a (mostly) strong bullpen showing. There are still some things to work through, namely defense and starting pitching, but take the win here. New York did just that, sneaking past Toronto by a score of 4 - 3.

The Yankees got on the board first, and it was thanks to the bottom of the order. Gary Sanchez got the inning started with a bloop single, but was quickly erased on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Aaron Hicks. Funny enough, that was probably the hardest hit ball of the entire inning. Neil Walker followed, in desperate need of a hit, and he nearly launched a two-run homer. It bounced off the top of the right field wall for a double. Hicks probably could have scored with a better read on it, but held up at third.

With two on and one out, the Bombers were set up for a big inning. Tyler Wade quickly tapped into a RBI groundout, putting New York on the scoreboard. Ronald Torreyes followed with a a single over the head of shortstop Aldemys Diaz. The Yankees had a 2 - 0 lead, thanks to the work of the bottom of the order.

A Didi Gregorius RBI single in the fifth inning allowed the Yankees to retake the lead, but the big blow of the night came in the form of an Aaron Judge home run. It was a mammoth seventh inning shot that has to be admired. Of course it came off old friend Tyler Clippard. I personally love how Paul O’Neill goes “Oh!” at the sound of the bat.

It’s a good thing the Yankees kept tacking on, too, because they needed each and every run. The Blue Jays roughed a returning CC Sabathia up for a pair of runs across 4.1 innings. The veteran southpaw looked very much like a 37-year-old fresh off the disabled list, but his defense did him no favors. Once again the Yankees looked like a team that has yet to learn the fundamentals.

The bullpen then had an eventful night, with Chad Green and Dellin Betances combining for 2.2 dominant innings. Good Dellin was back for the night, and it was an enjoyable sight. David Robertson, on the other hand, decided to raise everyone’s blood pressure. A single and two walks loaded the bases before recording a single out. Curtis Granderson worked a RBI single off D-Rob, but Houdini somehow escaped the jam. Never in doubt, folks. Meanwhile, Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in a perfect ninth, en route to his third save of the season.

These two teams are back at it tomorrow night, where it will be a traditional 7:05 PM start time. Sonny Gray draws Marco Estrada and the game can be seen on YES.

Box Score